Boston Celtics vs. New Orleans Pelicans Pick & Preview

Boston Celtics (57-16 SU, 37-33 ATS) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (45-28 SU, 40-32 ATS)

When: Saturday, March 30th, 5:00 PM (ET)

Where: Smoothie King Center, LA, New Orleans

TV: NBCS

Point Spread: Bos -5.5/NO +5.5

Total: 223.5

Money Line: Boston Celtics -210/+173

Notable Injuries

Celtics

• Jaden Springer (Out) Knee
• JD Davison (Out) Ankle

Pelicans

• Brandon Ingram (Out) Knee
• Jose Alvarado (Out) Hip
• Dyson Daniels (Probable) Knee

Today at 5:00 ET, NBCS will televise a non-conference matchup between the Celtics and Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The Celtics (-210) are favored by 5.5 over the Pelicans (+173) with the over/under line set at 223.5.

Boston (57-16) is 1st in the Eastern Conference and 1st in the Atlantic Division. They have lost two straight games. New Orleans (45-28) is 5th in the Western Conference and 1st in the Southwest Division.

Recent Form

Overall, the Celtics are 37-35-1 on the over/under this season, and they have hit the over in their last five games. This season, their games have averaged 230.9 points per game compared to today’s line of 223.5.

In their last game against the Hawks, the teams combined for 245 points, going over the O/U line of 228.5. Boston lost the game by a score of 123-122, and they were favored by 15.5 points.

Looking at their ATS record, the Celtics are 37-33 overall and 18-18 on the road. They have failed to cover the spread in their last two games and are favored by 5.5 points today.

The Celtics are currently 1st in the Eastern Conference with a record of 57-16. Against other Eastern Conference teams, they are 38-9 and 19-7 against the West. On the road, they have a record of 25-13.

Boston’s O/U record for the season is 37-35-1, and they have hit the over in their last five games. Today’s O/U line is 223.5, and their games have averaged 230.9 points per game.

In Pelicans games this season, the average over/under line is 228.1, which is higher than today’s line of 223.5. In their games, the average combined scoring total is 225.9.

New Orleans’ O/U record for the season is 31-42, and 49 of their games have had higher over/under lines than today’s. In their last game against the Bucks, the teams combined for 207 points, which was below the O/U line of 226.0.

The Pelicans are currently 5.5-point underdogs at home and have a 17-11 ATS record as underdogs. As the underdog, they are 15-13 straight-up.

New Orleans’ ATS record is 40-32, including a 20-15 record at home. They have covered the spread in two straight games as the underdog.

The Pelicans are in 5th place in the Western Conference with a record of 45-28. Against the Western Conference, they are 26-19 and 9-6 against teams in their division.

In their last game, the Pelicans beat the Bucks by a score of 107-100. They were 2.5-point underdogs going into the game and have an O/U record of 31-42 this season.

The Historicals

Over the last 5 head to head meetings, the Celtics have averaged 114 points per game compared to 104 for New Orleans. This has led to an ATS record of 4-1 for Boston. Over the course of these games, they averaged 218 points per game, leading a 1-4 over-under record.

Analysis

When it comes to scoring, the Celtics are one of the top offensive teams in the league. They are averaging 121.1 points per game, which is 2nd in the NBA. Interestingly, they have actually scored more points on the road (119.1) than at home (123.3).

So far this season, the Celtics have outscored the NBA scoring average in 75.3% of their games. In terms of pace, Boston is 19th in the league at 97.5 possessions per game.

When it comes to shooting, the Celtics are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NBA. They lead the league in both three-point makes per game (16.6) and three-point attempts per game (42.5). Overall, Boston is 2nd in three-point shooting percentage at 39%.

So far, the Celtics’ defense is ranked 6th in the league at 109.8 points per contest. When it comes to forced turnovers, the Celtics are forcing 11.4 per game, which is 2nd in the league. They also come into the game sitting 2nd in blocked shots at 6.5 per game.

At home, the Pelicans are averaging 116.2 points per game, which is 14th in the NBA. Overall, they are 13th in scoring at 115.6 points per game. In terms of pace, they are 18th in the league at 97.5 possessions per game.

New Orleans has been one of the more efficient shooting teams in the league, ranking 8th in field goal percentage at 48%. When it comes to three-point shooting, they are 8th in percentage but just 25th in attempts per game.

Heading into this game, the Pelicans have scored below the league average in 49.3% of their games. They are also on a six-game streak of scoring less than their season average.

The Pelicans’ defense is presently ranked 8th in the league, allowing an average of 110.4 points per contest. In the terms of takeaways, Pelicans are causing 12.4 turnovers per game, ranking 14th in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 18th in rejections, averaging 4.8 blocked shots each game.

Betting Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Celtics have a straight up record of 6-4 while going 6-4 vs. the spread. The team averaged 119 points per game in this stretch.
• In their last three home games, the Pelicans have a straight up record of 2-1 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 110 points per game in these contests.
• Through their last three games as the underdog, the Pelicans have an ATS record of 2-1 and a straight-up mark of 2-1.
• In their last five contests as the favorite, Boston has a poor record vs the spread going 2-3. But, they still put together a straight-up mark of 3-2.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

Even though the Pelicans pulled off an impressive win over the Bucks in their most recent game. However, the Celtics are a different story, and I Boston picking up a win and covering the spread at -5.5. Look for the absence of Brandon Ingram to catch up with the Pelicans in this one.